bridge: Quick Facts

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Last updated

Oct. 30, 2026

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Photos and Videos

Seto Great Bridge

Illustrations of six bridge types show their structural differences: a simple beam bridge, a truss bridge with triangular supports, a cantilever bridge with projecting sections, an arch bridge, a suspension bridge with cables hanging between towers, and a cable-stayed bridge with cables radiating from towers.

Diagram of a beam bridge spanning over water, with red lines along the top showing areas under tension and green lines along the supports and lower sections indicating compression forces.

Diagram of a single-span truss bridge over water, with red lines showing areas under tension and green lines showing areas under compression in the bridge structure.

Illustration of an arch bridge spanning two cliffs, with a green line along the curve of the arch indicating the path of compression forces through the structure.

Diagram of a suspension bridge spanning over water, with red lines illustrating tension forces in the cables and green lines showing compression forces in the vertical towers.

Diagram of a cantilever bridge spanning water, with red lines marking areas under tension and green lines marking areas under compression in the bridge structure.

Diagram of a cable-stayed bridge spanning water, with red lines showing tension forces in the cables and green lines showing compression forces in the bridge structure.

San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge

Forth Railway Bridge

The vidoe thumbnail image shows a two-sided bridge lifting and separating at the center. A blue circle highlights the open section.

Black and white image of a suspension bridge collapsing, with a section of the deck breaking and falling into the water below.

The history and significance of the Brooklyn Bridge

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Topics

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Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

railroad: Bridges

Key People

Gustave Eiffel

Gustave Eiffel

French engineer

Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers: Centre Georges Pompidou

Renzo Piano

Italian architect

Robert Moses seated at a desk, holding a candlestick telephone to his ear, with papers and office items in front of him.

Robert Moses

American public official

Isambard Kingdom Brunel

Isambard Kingdom Brunel

British engineer

Delorme, Philibert

Philibert Delorme

French architect

“Doris,” detail from the “Fountain of Neptune,” executed from Bartolommeo Ammannati's model by Andrea Calamech, 1563–75; in Piazza della Signoria, Florence

Bartolommeo Ammannati

Italian sculptor and architect

Thomas Telford

Thomas Telford

Scottish engineer

Meigs, Montgomery C.

Montgomery C. Meigs

American engineer and architect

Smeaton, detail of an engraving by W. Bromley, 1798, after a portrait by J. Brown

John Smeaton

British engineer

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Albert Fink

American engineer

Mackinac Bridge

David Barnard Steinman

American engineer

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John Rennie

Scottish civil engineer

Huey P. Long Bridge

Ralph Modjeski

American engineer

Robert Stephenson

Robert Stephenson

British engineer

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Sir Hubert Shirley-Smith

British civil engineer

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Fra Giovanni Giocondo

Italian architect

Bullant, Jean: Êcouen château

Jean Bullant

French architect

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Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann

German architect

Jean Perronet: Pont de la Concorde

Jean Perronet

French engineer

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Robert Mallet

Irish civil engineer

The northern terminus of the Akashi Strait Bridge in Terumi ward, southern Kobe, Hyogo prefecture, west-central Japan. The bridge spans the Akashi Strait and links Awaji Island to Honshu.

Bridge Quiz